The Revolution and the Muslim Brotherhood (26)

By-Sami El-Shahed
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31 October 2009

The Liberation Rally was initially intended to mobilise popular support for the Revolution regime by co-opting student leaders and workers.

Riding the national wave and in order to attract the broadest possible base, it called for the unconditional withdrawal of the British forces from the Suez Canal zone, self-determination for Sudan, the establishment of a socialist welfare state, pan-Arabism, and the installation of a constitution guaranteeing civic liberties. The rally became associated with Lt. Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser in his struggle for supremacy with General Mohamed Naguib, who was supported by the Muslim Brotherhood. Following a clash between the Liberation Rally and the Muslim Brotherhood on the campus of Cairo University in January 1954, Nasser began to mobilise his support in the Rally against Naguib. After Naguib and his supporters were purged from the government, the Liberation Rally was dissolved.The Liberation Rally had a paramilitary wing which was known as Monazamat Al-Shabab (Youth Organisations). These were led by Major Wahid Ramadan, one of the Free Officers, and a prominent figure in the Liberation Rally. These organisations were made up of secondary school students. A special orientation programme was designed for members, together with summer camps in which Revolution leaders themselves (including Lt. Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser) briefed students on local and regional developments, the Revolution government policies, and the attitudes and actions of 'hostile forces', i.e. remnants of the dissolved political parties, and later the Ikhwan. Meetings such as those were heavily publicised and covered by the local press as well as Cairo Radio.sami.elshahed@yahoo.com